Cross-sectional scanning of parts, and the processing of the data generated in the same, is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,139,338; 5,621,648; 5,880,961; 6,091,999; and 6,407,735. Such techniques, broadly speaking, involve the repeated optical scanning of a part that has been encased in a potting material so that, as successive layers of the part/potting combination are removed, data regarding the dimensions of the part are generated by a computer processing the scanned data of the image of each successive surface remaining after the preceding layer is removed. The optical contrast between the portions of the surface due to the potting material and those due to the material of the part identifies the dimensions of the part itself. Post-acquisition data processing techniques improve the utility of the data for various purposes. One such technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,735.